Bug FAQBroad-striped Lady Beetle
Paranaemia vittigera · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Coccinellidae
Also called: Ladybird beetle, Striped Lady Beetle
The broad-striped lady beetle is a small, flattened beetle about 4.5 to 6.6 mm long with yellow to pink wing covers marked by three black stripes and a black head, plus a pronotum that matches the wing-cover color and has two large triangular black spots. It lives near wetlands, riverbanks, streams, meadows, grasslands and agricultural fields, is native to western North America, and has also been introduced to Hawai‘i.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wing covers range from yellow to pink and show three black longitudinal stripes with a black head. The pronotum matches the wing-cover color and bears two large triangular black spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are elongate, dorsoventrally flattened and measure about 4.5 to 6.6 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits plants near riverbanks, streams, wetlands, as well as meadows, grasslands and agricultural field crops. Beyond its native western North America, it has been introduced to Hawai‘i.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is omnivorous, feeding on plant material and also on aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
They often gather in groups consisting of only their own species.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Their striped wing covers can be confused with those of Hippodamia and Macronaemia species, but they can be told apart by the margined base of the pronotum.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the broad-striped lady beetle look like?
It is a small, flattened beetle about 5 mm long with yellow to pink wing covers marked by three black stripes, a black head, and a pronotum that has two large triangular black spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this beetle?
It lives near wetlands, riverbanks, streams, meadows, grasslands and in agricultural fields, is native to western North America, and has also been introduced to Hawai‘i.
Source: Wikipedia
What does it eat?
It feeds on plant material as well as on aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Can it be confused with other lady beetles?
Yes, its striped wing covers resemble those of Hippodamia and Macronaemia, but the margined base of its pronotum distinguishes it.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coccinellidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranaemia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.